Anglers fishing with me on the Snook Fin-Addict, out of CB's Saltwater Outfitters on Siesta Key, had good action with a variety of fish during the past week. Anglers using spin tackle caught and released reds, trout, bluefish and a pompano. Fly anglers scored with trout, ladyfish, bluefish, Spanish mackerel and a red. The best action was with reds in north Sarasota Bay towards the end of the week.
Tampa Bay Fly Fishing Club members, Nick Colantonio and John Cornacchia, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Monday. They caught and released trout, ladyfish, bluefish and Spanish mackerel at the Middleground flat, Stephens Point and near Buttonwood Harbor on a variety of flies. The action wasn't particularly fast, but was steady. A couple of fly trips proved to be very challenging. Sight casting to reds and snook in skinny water in Sarasota Bay and Gasparilla Sound was tough. We had numerous shots, particularly in Sarasota Bay, and only got a pair of reds to eat.
Sarasota winter residents, Harry Beaty and Tom Schalk, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Wednesday. They had good action with trout to 18", bluefish and ladyfish at the same spots we fished on Monday. The best action in Sarasota Bay was with reds at the end of the week. Jim Essig and Ken Kolinski, both from OH, fished Sarasota Bay with me on Friday. We found lots of reds in Sarasota Bay north of Long Bar. There was a mix of rat reds (17" to 20"), which were much more aggressive and large reds up to 30", that were much smarter. Ken and Jim caught and released a dozen reds on CAL jigs with shad tails. Sight casting CAL jigs to reds in skinny water and working them slowly along the bottom was most effective.
John Freeman, Jr., from Venice, Fl, and his daughter, Chris Ryan, fished the same area with me on Saturday morning. After watching the reds behavior for several days, we really got dialed into them that day. Smaller reds wanted a CAL jig crawled slowly along the bottom in skinny water and bigger reds were less spooky and easier to catch in deeper water. They had a banner day, catching and releasing numerous trout and a pompano at the Middleground flat and Stephens Point before moving on to reds in skinny water. We fished the same shallow area north of Long Bar where they caught and released 20 or 25 reds to 30". With a very high tide, reds were tight to a shoreline and feeding on crabs around oyster bars. A great day!
Next week's tides will improve towards the end of the week as we head towards a full moon next weekend. Fishing should be good in shallow water for a variety of species. Many anglers are still waiting for the coastal gulf to turn on after a few spurts of activity recently.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Rick Grassett
Snook Fin-Addict Guide Service, Inc.
FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor
(941) 923-7799
E-mail snookfin@aol.com
www.flyfishingflorida.net and www.snookfin-addict.com
